Pericles Civic Fellowship
Fellowships bring civic and community engagement to campuses nationwide.
This Pericles Civic Fellowship equips campus champions with seed funding, structured peer learning, and institutional visibility to test and refine civic learning initiatives. Designed as a catalytic opportunity, the Fellowship supports exploratory work, pilot efforts, and partnership development that often cannot advance without dedicated time and resources. Grounded in Project Pericles’ commitment to the humanities and to educating for democracy, grant activities are designed to cultivate critical thinking, civic identity, and democratic engagement among students, faculty, staff, and community partners.
Now accepting applications!
Project Pericles invites proposals for the Pericles Civic Fellowship, a catalytic program that supports faculty and staff from all higher education institutions in strengthening democratic practice on their campuses. Preference will be given to institutions serving broader-access student populations, including public institutions, community colleges, and HBCUs.
Fellows receive a $3,000 award to test or advance a focused initiative during the academic year. Projects should demonstrate innovation, collaboration, and the potential for lasting integration or institutional uptake.
Project Pericles appreciates the support of the Mellon Foundation and the Eugene M. Lang Foundation for supporting this program.
Pericles Civic Fellows will:
- Introduce or deepen community-engaged civic learning tied to sustainable infrastructure on their campus, such as a course or first-year orientation. Fellows are expected to pilot or strengthen a model that can be sustained beyond the grant period.
- Create student learning experiences that spark civic curiosity, shape civic identity, and build civic agency, thereby strengthening communities, developing students’ professional skills, and encouraging democratic participation.
More Information and to Apply
For full details on the opportunity, please review the RFP and Application below. You may use this worksheet to prepare your application before submitting it through the official application form.
The deadline to apply is May 11, 2026. Notifications about awards will be sent on June 8, 2026.
For any questions, please contact arielle@projectpericles.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility & Application
Q: Who is eligible to apply for the fellowship?
A: Faculty and campus staff from any undergraduate serving higher education institution are eligible to apply as part of a campus team. This includes part-time, graduate student instructors, and adjunct faculty, provided they can demonstrate how their proposal leads towards sustained community-engaged civic learning at the institution and can fulfill the program’s commitments.
Q: Can an institution submit more than one proposal?
A: Yes. We do not cap the number of applications an institution may submit. However, we anticipate having a highly competitive application process in light of limited funding.
Q: Do you accept joint proposals between multiple people at one institution?
A: Yes, the nature of these projects supporting ecosystem institutional change also may benefit from collaboration among more than one person. Thus, we also accept proposals jointly submitted.
Funding & Budget
Q: What is the amount of the campus grant?
A: Project Pericles awards campus grants of $3,000 for the program implementation.
Q: How should the funds be allocated?
A: Project Pericles strongly encourages directing funding toward direct programmatic expenses. Student stipends are considered a direct programmatic expense.
Q: Are indirect costs (F&A) allowed?
A: Project Pericles typically asks that institutions waive indirect costs for these awards to ensure maximum funding reaches the students and community projects.
Program Structure & Expectations
Q: What are the primary responsibilities of faculty mentors?
A: In addition to the grant execution, faculty are expected to attend our slate of virtual webinar programming. This programming seeks to build relationships among participants while also exchanging lessons learned throughout the fellowship period.
